Ameren Missouri Diversifying Grid with Future Solar and Battery Storage Build-Out
Ameren Missouri is going to develop a 250-MW solar farm eventually paired with a battery storage complex to complement the utility’s grid generation portfolio with renewables.
The Reform Renewable Energy Center project is under Missouri Public Service Commission (PSC) review. Ameren hopes to begin construction next year and put the solar-storage site into operation by 2028
Reform Renewable Energy Center will be sited next to the utility’s existing Callaway nuclear power plant in central Missouri.
"For more than 40 years, Callaway Energy Center has been a dependable source of energy for Missouri, and this new project will produce more locally generated energy," said Mark Birk, chairman and president of Ameren Missouri. "Reform will also help us meet our goal of a balanced energy mix of about 70% from on-demand and 30% from intermittent sources, which allows us to achieve the two things our customers find most valuable: reliability and affordability."
Ameren Missouri owns the land for the proposed facility and the transmission interconnection, reducing construction time and expenses.
The site is designed to host up to 250 MW of energy storage. Ameren Missouri can apply to the PSC to install batteries at the Reform site. The batteries are predicted to store excess energy produced by the facility and discharge it when demand on the grid is higher, when customers need it most.
Reform Renewable Energy Center is not the only Ameren project aiming to decarbonize its grid generation portfolio. The Castle Bluff Energy Center, scheduled to be online in 2027, will provide backup power during peak demand. The planned Big Hollow Energy Center, pending approval and scheduled for completion in 2028, will be Ameren Missouri's hybrid facility combining natural gas and battery storage.
Four solar projects, representing more than 400 MW, are under construction and expected to be operational by the end of 2026. They will join three solar sites brought online at the end of 2024, which are collectively generating enough power for 92,000 homes annually.